Summary of this article
Over 50 per cent of people experiencing mental health issues wait more than a year before seeking professional support.
56 per cent of respondents reported experiencing thoughts of self-harm due to care delays.
Students and unemployed individuals face the highest risk of self-harm thoughts.
Seeking a doctor when suffering from physical illness is common, but looking out for help when struggling with a mental health condition is not. The data from the recently released report titled “The Amaha Mental Health Report 2026, Understanding the Journey to Care in India” shows that over 50 per cent of people in India wait for one year before seeking help. It could be due to the stigma around mental health issues, financial constraints, or something else, the report reveals. It highlights that instead of seeking professional support, people usually rely on private coping or informal consultations and hesitate to seek formal treatment.
Delays In Seeking Professional Help: Relying On Oversleeping, Overworking, Or Screen Time
The study finds that 53 per cent of respondents lived with their mental health condition symptoms for over a year before attending their first professional session, whereas only 11.3 per cent of the respondents sought help within one month. The report indicates that despite the awareness around mental health, delay in seeking help is widespread.
While delaying formal consultation, individuals rely on alternative measures, like informal support from family and friends (54.5 per cent) and self-help resources like books, apps, and online communities (44.6 per cent). 32.9 per cent reported having tried therapy previously, and 19.4 per cent have used medicine prescribed by a general practitioner without accompanying therapy as the reason for delay.
Around 83 per cent (82.7 per cent) use avoidant coping mechanisms, such as oversleeping, overworking, or excessive screen time.
Over 15 per cent (15.4 per cent) turn to alcohol or other substances to cope with a mental health condition.
“I’m Just Stressed”: Disguised Symptoms And Everyday Support Systems
The report reveals that people who approach professional help report an average of five concerns, with approximately 95 per cent of people reporting at least two concerns. Some of the common concerns reported by respondents include anxiety (72.1 per cent), stress (67.5 per cent), frequent mood swings (54.1 per cent), sleep disturbances (36.1 per cent), and body image concerns (21.1 per cent).
The report highlights that a mental health issue is often described in general terms by the person experiencing it due to a language gap, which often hides the severity of the issue. For example, 33 per cent of respondents who described themselves as “stressed” were clinically diagnosed with depression. Similarly, 10 per cent of the respondents who mentioned anxiety as their concern were diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
As professional support is sought after a delay, the initial burden of crisis support falls on the non-clinical network (mostly friends).
As per the report, 33.9 per cent of the respondents named a friend when asked about who they trust and would go to during a mental health crisis. Only 4.6 per cent named their father.
Self-Harm Thoughts Grow With Delay
The report underscores the connection between the delay in seeking help and thoughts of self-harm. Around 56.2 per cent of the respondents reported having experienced such thoughts. The data shows a 50 per cent increase in self-harm thoughts between people who sought help within days of noticing symptoms (22.3 per cent) and those who waited for more than a year (36.6 per cent).
Women experience such self-harm thoughts more (40.5 per cent) while delaying seeking help compared to men (29.4 per cent).
Students and unemployed individuals’ data are also at high risk, as 71.7 per cent of students and 64.7 per cent of unemployed respondents reported thoughts of self-harm before they sought care, compared to 53.2 per cent of working professionals.
The study highlights the need for a change in mindset and for seeking timely support from mental health professionals, rather than delaying care, which can aggravate the condition.
The study was conducted on 13,825 people across India between October 2025 and September 2026. The demography included individuals aged 18 to 60 years and above, in age brackets from 18-24, 25-34, 34-44, and so on. The respondents include students, unemployed individuals, working professionals, homemakers, retired individuals, and other categories.
